Omar Alfonzo continues work behind the plate

catching prospect had to deal with late season adjust after promotion

Baseball is all about making adjustments. Those who succeed the most are the ones who can adjust easily on the fly.

One adjustment that isn’t often considered is one that Pirates catching prospect Omar Alfonzo had to endure during a late-season promotion to Greensboro.

Alfonzo has caught almost 100 games in the past two seasons in the Florida State League, which uses the ABS system. With a computer calling balls and strikes, there is less emphasis on pitch framing.

Once he was promoted to Greensboro, he had to quickly readapt to framing pitches on a team that was making a playoff run. For a young catcher still working on his defense, it was quite the change and something he admitted took some time and perhaps created some bad habits.